Pune: Gold worth Rs 78 lakh hidden under plane seat, passenger arrested

Pune: Customs officials have arrested a passenger at Maharashtra’s Pune International Airport after seizing gold paste worth Rs 78 lakh hidden in a pipe under an aircraft seat, officials said on Thursday. Based on profiling, the passenger who arrived from Dubai on Wednesday was stopped but nothing objectionable was found during his personal search or baggage check. “Since the behaviour of the passenger was very suspicious, he was asked if he had hidden anything in the aircraft. Since his answers raised suspicion, his seat and some other places in the aircraft were searched. During the search, a packet of gold paste was found in a pipe under the seat he was sitting in,” the official said. The 24-carat gold weighs 1,088.3 grams and is worth Rs 78 lakh, the official said.